


Merlin Moments

by Jay_s_Atelier



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Writing Synthesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 7,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay_s_Atelier/pseuds/Jay_s_Atelier
Summary: Little bit of this and that. All centered around the Mage of Flowers.
Comments: 72
Kudos: 21





	1. Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

Smiling.

Something simple and reflexive for every human.

A smile can make a person seem gentle.

Seem comforting.

Happy.

Gentle.

People respond the best to smiles generated their way. A rush of good will and rise of comfort.

Merlin looked at their reflection in the water. The smile they saw wasn't like the one they saw everyone else had. It didn't seem to be as natural to their eyes. Compared to the ones they saw from their mother.... theirs just felt empty in comparison.

False.

Mother said it was fine. They didn't have to smile if they didn't want to. The word want had a funny emphasis of emotion that was so close to hope in taste. What most would probably compare to honey added to the milk you drank.

Blaise just ended up telling them there were different kinds of smiles. And waited patiently as they thought it over.

(And looked into different smiles. They didn't realize there was so many. Or even the reasons why different ones were used. Humans were complicated.)

Merlin decided that smiling had to many positives than negatives. The feelings they felt from their mother sent a wash of ...probably warm sweet tea of emotion... when they practiced a smile all on their own was all the reason enough to continue practicing their smile.

(They liked the fact that it was easier to do over time. It just took years before they had the right one.)

_Mother complimented it the last time they saw her._

~~Sometimes smiling made their eyes water after that.~~


	2. Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments with Merlin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

Books didn't judge.

The author of the book could have all the bias in the world.

Could write the best and the worst.

Facts.

Fiction.

They could be as full of so much dialogue to send the reader in circles, or flat out take a single sentence -one word even - to get all the what they wanted to say out. But there was no judgement.

Questions were answered even if they generated more questions themselves. Books were a marvelous source of information. Places to visit a world where the mind hungry to _know_ was able to devour all they wanted.

(At least as long as there are enough books. Sometimes you just needed to know more.)

Merlin took one look at the abandoned section of books on the shelves, picked one out, and swiftly moved to an alcove no one would pass by.

That no one had any reason to be near.

"Libraries are the best parts of a king's castle," Merlin decided, knowing the only person who could hear was the books next to them with all the maturity of a child not yet ten.


	3. Better Places to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

There was a rush of wind so great the water had risen taller than the tallest castle. The rain raged with the torrent of violence unleashed from the skies. Thunder boomed out of beat with the slamming of waves into any and all that came to be in its way. The remains of a ship was tossed with all the might of the finest warrior without care to whom or what was hit.

_A blink and the world changed._

Sand gleamed like jewels on a crown. The air waved with enough heat to sizzle and scorch any under the gaze of the sun. Little to jo life could be seen without keen eye. The most bold the humans who maneuvered the about their days in the lightest of clothing to full covered robes, skin darkened from the sun's attention.

_A blink and the world changed._

The snow was iced over. The world around it fills of wind and more flakes of white falling from the sky. The air of the wind so sharp it cut its own attacks into the pillars of ice. Sculpting and pruning the pillars into am art reminiscent of a tree, only to shatter it when the wind grew too hungry and dry. No life could be seen above the ground, only a keen eye noting the movement under the ice serving as the ground.

_A blink and the world changed._

The rocky terrain was riddled with slopes and caverns. Bright and colorful objects grew and and attached themselves. All growing like a forest and breathing in and out of tune. Fish of all shapes and sizes swam among themselves and the not quite forest. Light gleamed from above to making the very water a gentle pool.

_A blink and the world changed._

"Are there any other places better than this?" Their king asked with green eyes longing to know the answer. As if needing to know the answer from their lips.

Merlin took in the gleaming castle and the snobbish nobles, but underneath the sweet flavors of the common man filled the land around then with a potent love and contentment. The taste of a savory meal for the children so utterly convinced they were safe with their families.

"There isn't any place other than Camelot I could possibly miss."

~~Sometimes they wish that was a lie.~~


	4. Be a Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

Sometimes Merlin wondered what it was to be different. For a moment not be Merlin, the person that everyone stared at. The person that every visitor just had to stare at.

The emotions always a mix.

The sharp taste that curdled the stomach was foul when coming from the newer priests that just learned of her father. 

The savory flavor that reminded her of when there was a particular donation and the priests and nuns could make meat pies for those that were parents with their own children traveling with them.

The crunchy texture with a slimy aftertaste for those Blaise herded away from her.

(Blaise never let those with greed in their eyes, or hearts, near Merlin if he could help it. There were too many ways that meant they wanted to use them. Not on his watch. He lost his family before. This one in front of him wasn't going to disappear on his watch.

Merlin deserved better.)

They were filling meals to be sure, but .... sometimes overwhelming.

It was easier with animals. 

(It was always easiest with their mother. A mother, who always knew just the right thing to do, or say. Somehow always emitting enough emotion to feed their but not overstuff them.

Who sometimes made it feel like they was feeling their own warm fluffy desserts instead of _JUST_ their mother's own flavors of emotions.

~~Maybe mother had her own secret magic?)~~

It was why Merlin was having a staring contest with a bird.

Simple and sure feelings were just enough to to feel like a snack. A little burned and smoky. 

But completely manageable.

"What's it feel like to fly?"

"I'm afraid you would have to be a bird for that, Merlin. No one knows what it feels like to fly like a bird. Just like no one knows what it feels like to breath like a fish under the water." Blaise paused as he went about checking the vegetables. "Some things you need to experience. Unfortunately, some things you might never experience when you want to."

Merlin took that as permission. They never were a bird before.

(Flying was an experience Merlin wants to repeat.)

(....or maybe even a different animal too.)


	5. A Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

*Sometimes you remind me of a cloud. My own little Merlin cloud." Mother was fizzy in delight when she said that. Her emotions bubbling with an almost taste that was fleetingly sweet.

"But I make flowers." Merlin didn't see how they could be a cloud when they were solid.

Clouds always looked like foam, or even more a solid stone. Not to mention... they never changed into a cloud before.

"So do clouds." Mother was scrubbing particularly hard at one of the bowels used to make dinner.

That didn't make sense.

"How do they do that?"

"The rain feeds the plants and flowers grow." 

That part did make sense.

"But you know.... my Merlin is free to change shape like a cloud. It doesn't change them being my baby. Although I prefer looking at you just the way you are. Completely and utterly yourself. Remember to come back to it at the end of the day, how else would I be able to tuck you into bed? You get bigger like the clouds too. I think it's best I tuck you in while I still can."

Merlin was still not sure how it all related, but some of it sounded like it made sense. 

"Everyone calls me Merlin of the flowers."

"Everyone else can do that. You can be my little Merlin Cloud."

( _After all, clouds are free to do what they want and drift as they pleased. What Mother didn't want their child to be free to choose something that made them happy. Any and all things that made them happy like the clouds? Free to realize they can be happy._

_Best of all, you can't catch a cloud._

_A mother wants nothing to even try_.)

Merlin just preferred the fact that their Mother calling them a Merlin Cloud warmed them all the way down to their toes as if taking in a filling soup in the winter. It filled them as they lay tucked into their mother's side for the night a few hours later.


	6. The Should Know Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes people should remember Merlin is literal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

Merlin could never get enough when it came to learning. They always wanted to know more.

When.

Where.

How.

Who.

Why.

(Mother and Blaise could tell you a great deal on how to answer those why questions too. The answer required a delicate touch.)

The problem was that there were quite a few that didnt realize that there was a wrong answer to the curious child and that ended as the answer called "because."

Blaise shook his head at the garden that overran itself in half the building starting from the root cellar. It appeared the latest answer of "find out yourself" needed to be added to the list of what not to say to the child. Or at least remind his fellows in the church to add on "with supervision" after that phrase.

This certainly didn't happen on his watch.


	7. A Room is a Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

Merlin knew there wasn’t a need for an extra room.

Those rooms were needed for those dedicating themselves to the church, or noble ladies sent for education by their families. It was a place not needed for a child not yet reaching the double digits in age. Not when noble lords were a fickle group when it came to their whims many times over on when their daughter was expected to show. Nor when the word for them _to_ show could end up arriving _after_ they arrived. All before the more common class entered on their own to dedicate themselves.

No. There were no more rooms available there.

There weren’t any places in the more guest like building with enough room for possibly three families of five if they all clumped together that served as a space for the night for travelers. It was more of a place to eat and buckle down that wasn’t on the road. Travelers that came through were unpredictable.

(And no one wanted Merlin alone with a stranger.)

No. The best place for Merlin was reserved with their mother. And if there was any other it would be with Blaise, but Mother was fine with sharing her room.

The room big enough for a small child to share all of the space freely.

Merlin preferred it that way.

(They didn’t feel fine sleeping anywhere else then cuddled into their mother’s embrace.)


	8. Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, but I do not own any of the characters or anything in the Fate fandom. My status as a Master in FGO doesn't entitle me to anything. I do, however, own the plot bunny for what I just wrote. You can thank the characters for being voluntold to participate~

It was a gradual thing.

Something so small no one would take a moment to look at it. Not with all the things they had to do during the day, not to mention never-ending surprises they needed to take care of like the upkeep of their home in the midst of the change of weather.

The roof needed to be checked for leaks.

The walls needed to be inspected for cracks.

The gardens needed to be harvested and checked for pests.

So many little things that could distract the best of them. Not even getting into the big things like appeasing the lords and the dealing with other political problems that came attached with them.

Blaise took one look at the small child playing with making the water in the pot steam and chill and nodded to himself. It was surely their doing that not a single person in house got sick in the last four years. Not since the one time Merlin got to see a sick traveler that sought shelter for the night.

(“ _Is it good for someone to be sick_?” A small voice asked, voice more confused at the word good. Almost like they were not sure what they were asking.

“ _Some sickness is milder than others, but any sickness can lead to death for anyone_.”

Blaise should have paid more attention to the way the small child looked intently at them and then to the distance where their mother worked on the laundry. The way their shoulders grew unnaturally still as if coming to an absolute decision.)


	9. Sewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini time!

Merlin noticed they grew... a lot faster than anyone else around them.

Faster even when they stayed _human_ _shaped_ too!

Mother ended up spending so much time having them pose, while their measurements were taken.

"Mother, why do I grow faster than you do?" Mother ended up smiling and sending out the flavor of a warm potato soup as if warmed by the very thought of her questions. Making a small hum as if she wanted to laugh and be serious at the same time. Not that Merlin knew why.

_(Merlin never understood the sheer pleasure of an adult hearing a question from a child so absurd in its logic and charming you at the same time. ~~Blaise was right in experience being the best teacher there in the time they wandered.~~ )_

"It's because I am all grown up Merlin Cloud. Adults just grow older, not taller. So you my little miracle are the only one growing up aside from a few of those joining us."

"But I see adults growing plenty. The last merchant to stay here for the spring grew out."

"That's not growing, that's letting go."

Merlin just decided there was two types of growing now.

Up and out.

"So that's why I have to get measured for new clothes more?"

"Yes, my Merlin Cloud. It is." Mother went and felt like a dash of spice as she continued speaking, "Besides, didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?" Merlin didn't like missing things. It .. was irritating... when they could see everything.

"Notice how I put all my feelings into every stich of clothing you wear." Mother ended.

Oh. They didn't notice that before.

( _Merlin always did find clothes colder after that. The ones not made by Mother._

_But maybe if they tried hard enough they could make them close enough_.)


	10. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini Mini

The scribbles written on the pages held answers.

So many answers.

But they kept their treasure hoarded in secret. 

A secret flaunted for those unaware.

Merlin was not ...... unhappy with this, but they would call it unimpressed. Mother used that word the other day when talking to another sister nun. They didn't wat to take their studies seriously while here. Mother fixed it.

So yes.

Merlin was very unimpressed with the scribbles on the pages.

"Do you want to learn how to read, Merlin?"

" _Yes_!"

_(Blaise will not forget how Merlin practically vibrated in joy, letting him relax as the child - and one unable to even act the slightest bit to hide anything - almost leapt into his lap to have him teach them the "Secrets of Scribbles.")_


	11. First Word

Merlin looked focused all day. Almost frustrated with the world around them as they were fascinated. Blaise was amused about that. No fuss during the time of teething after someone put the more chilled water from the stream on their gums. Their repeating the ability with magic made it all the easier on both the mother and child, for all the unconscious magic worried Blaise on how it would affect either of them.

(Blaise knew he could do some mage craft to make it colder, but it wouldn’t last. The others would need to learn a work around eventually anyway.

And really it was not hard to boil water and place the rest of the water in a sealed container. Or put that container into the running river to chill in the water’s currents. The chained latch attached to the container made it easy for his fellows to pull out.)

“I think they might need a nap now. Merlin has been up for a little too long today for a child their age.”

“You might be right, I just don’t want to leave them alone if they are getting sick.” Adhan hugged her little one close. Unfortunately, if Merlin was sick for the first time then it would be a lot of forced sleep. She moved to go put them down on chair with the throw blanket on it to make sure to keep an eye on her.

“No Go!!” Came the unexpected words after Adhan moved to continue sewing the holes in the clothes once more.

The two adults stared stunned.

“Well it looks like we won’t have to worry about talking.” Blaise chuckled out relieved. “It seems Merlin is a normal child under all that after all to have their first words, sentence even, for you not to stop hugging them.”


	12. Why White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More minis

Mother usually wore the same set of her nun robes. It was a simple set that faded out of dye.

She had made herself with the warmest fabrics in preparation for the winter. As well as the fact that the only other things she owned were the pretty dresses that were just for relaxing days when the two were free. 

(Mother made some of their own clothes with the material.

.....they kept those in their own chest as pristine as they could.)

This time they had a new set of material, only in white. 

The same cloth Mother had her robes made from.

(....the dye was too costly to buy but it did have no stains to the white fabric.)

Merlin watched as Mother, emitting warmth as if she had a relaxing tea that just soothed just _right_ , came close with the finished project. 

(It took a little more than a week to make in between other projects.)

Merlin automatically placed the cover over them in quick fashion. They knew how warm this should be. 

(It was one of the warmest things they owned to date.)

"Look Merlin Cloud, now we match!"


	13. Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini Time~

Blaise noticed it right away.

Merlin was _bored_.

They were unallowed to use magic right now. Not when they overdid a few minutes ago and turned the latest arrival into a goose.

Thankfully it was on accident. Merlin was trying to turn the bugs that were bad for the crops in the fields into another animal. 

(Merlin knows that their mother likes to eat goose when it is available. They were trying to be helpful.)

The man just happened to be in the way. 

(Literally came to lecture Merlin to stay away from the fields. Not that that was useful since Blaise always had them assist them in them for a little bit during the week.

A little hard work and patience was good for a child.

~~_It was not because it kept them out of trouble._~~ )

"You do know there is a way to be entertained even if you don't have anything to work with?" Blaise explained to thechild pouting in front of them. "You could make puzzles to make the time pass while everything is boring."

"Will they really be that interesting?"

"Merlin a puzzle can be with words, with items, or even your own home when it comes to wardings. Your magic circles can be considered a puzzle. It's all bout being ble to learn something new. How bout it?"

Of course there was no way Merlin was going to disagree.

(Merlin was well aware and darkly amused that the little puzzles Blaise taught them could work against kings.)


	14. Illusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Minis

Merlin didn't understand what was the problem.

Blaise said not to bring in some of the newer flowers they and their mother found in near the water nearest the east side of the forest.

Apparently it made some people sick just to smell it?

But their mother _liked_ the way it looked and smelled. She felt like she was made of honey when she was near them. Mother _said_ they reminded her of her own childhood. 

So clearly they had to bring the flowers in. Or at least in a way where it wasn't against the rules.

.....what if they weren't _really_ there?

.

* * *

.

Merlin just about beamed back when Mother smiled at them with that smile and warm blanket crash of emotions hugged her. 

A few of the clergy screamed in panic about the flowers. But they were just being silly.

Blaise pat them on the head and told them "Good job."

They _knew_ they weren't real flowers.


	15. What is Forget?

Merlin heard something interesting today. 

They overheard one of the visitors say that they would not be forgetting meeting a child as comely as they were.

They already knew they looked nice. Mother told them so. They looked nice when they changed into any form even if Mother liked the one they had as a base best.

But... they needed to solve this mystery.

.

* * *

.

"What does forgetting mean?" Blaise was faced with a stubborn student interested in more knowledge.

"It means to lose information you had knowledge of before. To forget isn't something bad. It happens to all of us in little ways. Most of the time it refers to memories." The confused put directed at him just made him kneel down to look them in the eyes. Slit pupils even thinner as they thought so hard. "Any questions? You know I will answer them."

"People can lose memories?" A small head was trying to look both at him and tilt their head over to the spot Adhan was occupying at the same time.

"Old memories. The ones that they had from when they were a small child about your age when they get to my age is normal. There are people who don't forget, but that doesn't mean memories are the only things you can forget." 

(Blaise can't remember the way his bed felt before he joined the home of god. He prefers never to remember the taste of some of the food he's eaten before.)

"But I don' forget anything." Merlin was insistent.

"Then we can always check every year if you forgot something else if it worries you."

"Mother and you can do it with me."  
  



	16. It's Not Just Food?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments.

Blaise noticed a habit.

It was so similar in the way Merlin went about eating that without paying attention a person could miss it.

Merlin couldn't really taste food. Well they could, but not the way the rest of them did. 

(Blaise and Adhan got to hear the detailed ways it tasted off even if their stomach needed at least a little bit of a side dish of Everyone Else Food to go with the the emotions of others around them.

The one time they got lost following their inner sight instead of their outer sight they got lost for the day. Adhan and he were besides themselves. Adhan miraculously felt a tug of intuition - or pull from Merlin through magic in some way _because_ they were related. Blaise was never sure which was the answer there.

A child is still a child, and it was the first time that small body didn't get enough to eat. Merlin ate a regular portion of solid food that day and stayed curled up in Adhan's side.)

Blaise had no idea until now that the same reason they could eat the worst, but most devoted chef's food during the meal was due to the emotion attached to the process. 

Merlin understood little in the way of appeal, but without fail would always gravitate to the object with the most emotional attachment to it. The best reaction was the determination to do well, the hope they got it just right, and the love poured into it. Most of the time it is something Adhan made for them personally. 

It was hard to miss that devotion without Merlin's ability. 

Merlin's little habit was to curl into the creations of humans, ones with human creators that poured all their hearts into it. 


	17. Every Child Needs One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Moments!

Merlin understood the clothes. 

They kept them warm and comfortable. Inside and out of buildings. The material protected their skin from cold, from insects, and from any and all elements. It was something that humans were not allowed to discard unless they were bathing, or getting rid of bodily waste. There was another, but Mother and Blaise mentioned that one was not important.

They were both too young and needed permission from both of them for such a thing.

(The two adults were personally that asking for permission never came up. Not until Merlin was in their twenties at the earliest. 

.....maybe a lot later.

Or never.)

Merlin understood the shoes.

Shoes kept them from getting things stabbed into their feet on accident. Even if they were getting better at cushioning the ground with flowers. Merlin wanted that _perfect_.

Anything else were tools that were used in everyday life and required for some task.

Of course Merlin understood their need. Even if Merlin thinks they might be able to do better with magic.

  
(Both Mother and Blaise liked to point out that magic didn't have to be the answer to everything. After all what if you couldn't use it?)

But....

What was the stuffed animal, in the shape of a dog - Merlin wasn't sure that was what it was, but Mother told them that that is what it was - was supposed o be for.

Why was that older matron that made it so insistent that all children needed a toy?


	18. Other Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Moment!!

Merlin was interested in the fact that there was someone clearly there size around them as the family was resting for the night in one of the buildings for visitors.

Traders and merchants by the looks of their wares. 

There was only one slight problem.

Merlin got too full from being in the same room as them that they sprouted a miniature garden at their feet. Their own heart was pounding so hard as they got swept away. 

(Blaise picked up a blooming Merlin and carried them out of the building to the garden. It was just like when the adolescent children that just hit their teens got their mood swings first met the young child. It was a lot too much emotion for them to handle at once.

Adhan agreed that they would let their child meet the more disciplined children first and get Merlin used to the emotional ones after that.

Hopefully they would be better when they got used to it and older. Merlin held out so well for a three year old.)


	19. Hot Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More minis

Merlin… didn’t quite understand just what the big deal was.

Mother and Blaise told her it was a neat way for them to use their abilities. Had even asked for them to do the same for them. Merlin always took the opportunity to show off the magic they could do for either of them.

Always did something that made them praise them. The warm and soupy feelings warmed them and relaxed them from the inside out as they filled themselves up.

Sometimes enough for those rare naps on their Mother’s lap.

The fact that the entire place was abuzz about it was more .. perplexing.

Not everyone liked the fact that Merlin could do magic. Even more so since it was so strong. The wrinklier adults the most. Although that never held a candle as Mother liked to say when comparing big things to the outsiders worries when they saw just _how_ much Merlin could do.

They were still learning though, so it just meant they had to get better at it obviously. Mother _said_ learning took time.

But Merlin didn’t get why the fact that they could heat up bath water was that big a deal.

How else would you get warm baths?

Still, Merlin took their place to spell the water warm once more. Taking the sweet bread the chefs had made for the occasion to nibble on with Mother and Blaise with a “Thank You.”


	20. Show Off Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments

Blaise was noticing another new trend. 

Not exactly new, but more like something he finally put together in a new light.

Nowadays there were a few nuns and a few other clergy that belonged. Those that lived here for a year or more alongside Merlin finally decided to get curious about the little "tricks" Merlin could do under his teaching.

The nuns who watched and adored Merlin even in the ones attempting to be stern, all of them had at least one soft spot for the child. And were getting eager to see just what their youngest was capable of doing.

Beyond the very obvious blossoming of flowers under foot. No matter what season they were in. Or the weather outside. 

......or the floor inside.

No he noticed they all were getting eager for Merlin to show off more and more as long as there were no outsiders visiting.

(Outsiders included those not belonging to their nunnery in specific, no matter if the visitor was part of the church.)

And Merlin would show them. Always after permission was granted from Blaise for the bigger things. As much as they wanted Merlin to be capable of magic.. the child was still just a child and accidents did happen. It was best he be there just in case.

But the pattern Blaise noticed was one that put him in a softer mood. Every time Merlin decided they could show off a spell, even if only after prompted by a resident, the first thing out of Merlin's mouth after getting that yes was to immediately head toward Adhan. 

Their mother always had to be the audience first. Always. No matter what type of magic they learned.

(Blaise thinks the next thing they need to teach Merlin on their list is to remind the recipient in front of them they need to answer instead of run off. No matter how adorable the rest of the nunnery found it.)


	21. I am not clumsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments

Adhan was getting worried for her child. They could see, but they tended to walk into things in front of them so many times.

(Adhan was secretly worried that there might have been something in their not human inheritance that could harm them. After all if they could see and were steady on their feet so soon after learning to walk and then crawl, she worried it was slow acting and they missed it earlier.)

"My Little Cloud, are you feeling alright?" Her child walked into a wall for the third time in the time it took to get to midday. Already decided she pulled them up and held them close to their heart for reassurance and calm.

"Mother, there's too much to see."

Adhan looked around the room filled with mending. Something Merlin inspected every time they went into the room, but not something worth walking into walls for. "What do you see, my Little Merlin Cloud?"

"Blaise is in the gardens with some initiates, cook is making that tea you like right now, the sea monsters are fighting again, and lots and a lots more." Their baby told them as they relaxed and snuggled into their arms. As if the things they were seeing no longer were bothering them.

"Do you see them still now?" Adhan would have to talk to Blaise about this later, but at least it looked like it was magic related. Nothing to worry about in that case. 

Merlin shook their head, eyes still closed as they just soaked in her touch, "I see Mother's smile."


	22. Staring Contests

Blaise wondered if this was a gradual shift, or instant now, when he spotted Merlin behaving like a cat all over again with a stranger. One of the latest in the groups of noble daughters to arrive. 

Last time, he caught them curled up in Adhan's lap purring as they shifted back into a human child after their mother indulged them by petting them like they were a cat. 

(Merlin tended to try out all the things they see the animal do when they shifted into them. Himself, or their mother, tended to be the human factor when they shifted. 

Blaise wondered what it said that Adhan called it part of play time and considered it playing pretend. Even after their child was literally changing into a new shape instead of pretending to be one.)

Or even if it was from just spending so much time as another creature bled into what they considered acceptable. So far birds and cats were their favorite.

.

* * *

.

The passing nun wondered how the latest initiate would fit in after watching Blaise walk off with Merlin tucked over their shoulder and mumbling theories again. The tiny child must be curious about the new arrival if they kept staring at them.


	23. Flower Inspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another moment~

Blaise looked over at Merlin as they looked over at some of the flowers Adhan was known to water as her own little garden of useful herbs and pretty flowers. He would have thought nothing of it if this was not the same look on their small face whenever they were in the middle of trying to figure out some complicated puzzle.

"Is there something wrong with the flowers Merlin?" They would sense something possibly before him,. Merlin's ability with magic was beyond anything Blaise had seen before and their lineage did mean they could have noticed something Blaise had overlooked.

"Mother said that flowers grow special when you loved and cared for them I can't see a difference." Merlin was definitely not understanding what Adhan was alluding to.

(Blaise wondered sometimes just how many ways Adhan found to tell Merlin they loved them. She seemed to make it her mission to include it even metaphorically when not telling their own child in person. It was both touching as well as amusing to se it intrigue Merlin's critical thinking skills to find out what their mother meant. 

...even if it did end up leading to utterly bizarre experiments in their magic later at times.)

"You might not be looking at it the right way. I believe the flower your mother was taking the most care of has been doing splendidly." Blaise mentioned to the child. 

Merlin dutifully regarded each one with complete concentration before looking in the distance to where Blaise knew Adhan was with a bit of awe. "Love can do impossible things. None of the books said anything about this." 


	24. Walking Stick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments~

Blaise looked over at the child determined to keep up with him.

To be fair, their small body was doing remarkably well for someone so young. It still.. was not yet enough.

They needed to grow older and stronger to do that.

"Do you need a break Merlin?" It never hurt to let them rest.

"No. You need to finish looking for breaks in something. I can keep up." The little one was being stubborn with that pride in there.

"We are looking for breaks in the perimeter by magic. We needed to be a little farther from the nunnery in case there was something that went wrong. We want you to have practice when your own magic was touched by foreign magic." Blaise had intended to see how well Merlin could work with their own magic if someone else. When Blaise was not stopping them from using magic that was. Other people who could use magecraft would try interfering with their spells. It was best to find out how they would handle it now before their magic grows more potent.

.... surprise later could be a lot worse if it exploded in some way.

"I can do it." Merlin was very certain of that.

Blaise looked over and found something that would at least help their small charge. A thick stick his own height and another a little taller than Merlin. "Then why not we both travel in style. I wonder if you have heard of the most useful traveling tool aside from your own knapsack?"

"What is it?" If there was anything that could get Merlin's attention, it was new knowledge. 

"A walking stick. You have to find just the right one and it can do all sorts of things." He had already moved to pick up the two.

"Walking stick?" Merlin looked intently at the object.

"Oh let me tell you of all the ways it can be used." 

...if he made some up on the way to distract the child... well no one said you couldn't try it out.


	25. Obvious Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Moments

Blaise was once more relishing in all the little things his disciple was doing that reminded him just how close they were to their mother.

The way they shifted to a relaxed slouch that screamed royalty when tired in some way, physically or mentally. 

The way they tapped their feet to the floor when they put on their shoes.

The way they treated their possessions with expert and delicate care.

The way they bit their lip after tasting something that they didn't expect.

So many little obvious things that Blaise was delighted to see could be traced back to Merlin and their mother. Family traits the two shared by virtue of being related, or just living together as a family. 

It was wonderful and lightened the heart Blaise ruminated as he started walking outside for magic lessons with an eager child.

.

* * *

.

"You know, you could almost assume Merlin and Blaise were related by blood with how well they behave similarly. The need to know something and sheer delight of meeting something interesting is way too similar."

"I know! The two even walk the same."


	26. A King Steals a Merlin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments

Merlin knew they were in their room. It .. it wasn’t the room they had before. Never could be like the one they had before.

Not ever.

There was no warmth seeping in the room they had. There was no familiar anything. Not even the noise around them.

It was just cold.

Empty.

And filled with painful feelings that were leftover from the previous owner. Merlin didn’t believe it was a coincidence. This man who took them from their home. From the people that cared about them so much they could have danced. Danced and been only a little bit of a distraction to the nuns. All of them were far away.

Merlin looked to the side and stood just so that if their vision was real, they would have been right next to mother as she sat on the bed.

The water falling from their eyes started happening again and they didn’t know why.


	27. Debates on a Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More moments

Merlin looked at the item in front of them. It was confusing what Mother wanted them to do with it.

“It’s a seed. I sometimes forget with how smart you are that you might not know something sometimes.” Mother was smiling at them with that nice warm touch added just for them. They could physically feel it. “These are seeds for flowers. You are so used to the ones in the vegetable garden and looked like you enjoyed watching them grow, I thought I would get something else for you. Flowers that don’t bloom when you walk.” Mother was even more amused at the end of her words, but at least now Merlin knew what the object in front of them looked like. They didn’t know that all seeds could look so different.

“Plant my own flowers?” Merlin already helped in the vegetables and flowers bloomed already at their feet, why would they need more flowers?

“Sometimes, just sometimes people want to try something new. It doesn’t mean they dislike the things they normally use, or do, but it makes things feel fresher when they return to them afterwards. Besides. Think on it this way. These flowers are yours only.” Merlin understood the thought of breaking up monotony. They noticed a break time did make other people like the nuns that worked with the cooking most time, more inspired the next time they performed a task. They noticed it whenever they had to once more go back to the basics of a spell they wanted to show Blaise and Mother after they tried out – yet again – a spell they just made up a few seconds ago.

(Blaise really wanted them to not lose their concentration when doing magic as wonderful as their impulsive casting was, they needed discipline.)

“Mine?” Merlin thought they shared almost everything with the nunnery and Mother.

“All yours. You can’t get a pet like you probably heard from the noble girls that come here to study… maybe when you are older, but flowers are wonderful to grow and tend to as well. A person that can take care of flowers is much better than one that can’t if they want a pet later.” Mother was a little firm.

(Adhan really just wanted Merlin to have a little something she could to about that depended on them that wasn’t magic related. Something that the results needed time and care to produce the results for. …and a delay for a possible pet because it looked like they might need one for Merlin if there were no initiates that were their age to befriend ever showed up later on.)

.

* * *

.

"Do you think Merlin is ready for a pet?"

"Let's revisit that the next time we get a hunting dog and if they can keep the flower alive without reviving it."


	28. Reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Moments~

Merlin looked over into the basin of water confused. 

"That's your reflection, Merlin Cloud." Mother told them. The wobbly liquid swooshed the other them from side to side.

"Why is it in the water?" Merlin didn't need to see the reflection when they were going to drink it, or splash it on the plants. 

"My little cloud, almost anything that shines can have a reflection. I'm sure Blaise and his books can tell you a more detailed answer." Mother knew exactly what they needed to find out more. Merlin nodded.

"You can see a reflection in any shiny thing?" Merlin wanted to be sure. 

"Most nobles, or those with a lot of money could afford to hire a craftsman for a mirror. Although," Mother said the magic words. Whenever she said something like that it always sounded like she knew a secret. "I think my favorite reflection is the one in your eyes."

_(Adhan loved how her baby couldn't hide even the slightest expression. With her reflection in her child's eyes you could always see just what they thought of you. She hoped that never changed.)_

Merlin looked into their Mother's eyes and had to agree. The reflection there somehow was the best. 


End file.
